Reminiscence
by Death's Whisper
Summary: "Shepard isn't some pawn to be thrown away. She's special. Humanity needs her." A series of drabbles set during Mass Effect 2. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue: Miranda

**Miranda**

I've been with Cerberus for years, but I've _never _in all my life have seen _anyone_, this severely damaged. Or at least, any _corpse_ in this poor shape.

You couldn't even tell if the body was male or female, much less, the heroic Commander Shepard.

Her entire body was scorched- every part of her skin was covered with some of the worst burn scars I've ever seen. Every bone in her body was crushed, her organs in worse condition.

If the Alliance had found her first, they'd immediately put her body in a casket. As if that could mean anything to anybody since they declared her dead merely a few days after the Normandy was destroyed. They didn't even _look _for her. They didn't want to. The Alliance and the Council both proved that when ignored the pleas of the Normandy crew to look for her, even if most of them knew she was already dead. Neither of them even made a big deal out of the fact that their best solider had died.

To the Alliance, to the Council- Shepard was just another disposable soldier. Despite saving the Citadel, the Council, and even being the first human Spectre, they didn't care that she died. They had no more use for her.

Cerberus is not so foolish.

Shepard isn't some pawn to be thrown away.

She's special. She's proved that she's the only one who has the ability to defeat the Reapers head on. We need her. Humanity needs her- hell, the entire _galaxy _needs her.

And that's why we're bringing her back.

This soldier… this _woman_ will be able to save millions of human lives if she's brought back.

Of course it's going to be difficult, but for her… for this "hero", it'll be worth it. The billions of credits that will be put into the Lazarus Project will all be worth it. And the Illusive Man knows it. _I _know it.

I walk in the communication room of the ship. Shepard's body still being carefully examined by the doctors onboard. Almost immediately, the Illusive Man's hologram appears before me, his blue prosthetic eyes gleaming.

So it begins.

"Commander Shepard has been recovered."


	2. Beginning: Shepard

**Shepard**

So I'm to be used by Cerberus, huh? The same group that was responsible for the deaths of fifty of my comrades back on Akuze? When Jacob first told me that I was rebuilt by Cerberus, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wanted to believe that he was joking. I wish he was.

I was saved by the group that eliminated my team. That's the one fact that's been clawing at my mind this whole time.

But I'll play nice with Cerberus and the Illusive Man. He brought me back to life, and he expects me to repay him for it by working with him.

I woke up three days ago, and already, I'm being sent to save the galaxy again.

What does everyone want with me? Everyone needs me help. Everyone wants Commander Shepard. Why can't anybody just let me be?

I'm selfish for saying that, aren't I? But I'm tired. I want to say it would've been better if Cerberus didn't bring me back. It would've saved everyone a lot of trouble. Maybe it's a little too early to say that. But from what Joker and Dr. Chakwas said, it sounds like no one exactly cared that I was gone. And the people who did care, just fell apart and moved on with their lives.

As though nothing had ever happened.

I am being selfish, aren't I?

I've gotta stop thinking like this- gotta stop feeling sorry for myself. I never complain out in the open to anyone, not even too anyone on the Normandy… but I've been bottling this anger, this sadness, this _loneliness _my whole life, I just wanna scream, break down and start to cry.

But I'm the Commander. I'm the one everyone looks up to. I'm the "hero". I have to be strong. Not just for their sake… but for mine.

Fine. I'll work with Cerberus. But I'm doing it for humanity's sake. No other reason.

I'll work _with _them. But I'm not working _for _them. And the sooner the Illusive Man will come to realize this, the better.

"You still don't get it, do you? You're not in charge of this mission. I am." The look on Miranda's face was exactly I'd expect- a cold, calculating grin behind that pretty face of hers. She knew I would say that. She's smart, I'll give her that. As long as she remembers who's in command, we'll be fine.

But being on a ship with so many strangers… it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

It's been three days since I woke up, and I'm commander of the _Normandy_ again, with Joker at the helm.

If the rest of my team were here, it'd be like old times... Hah. "Old times". The "old times" weren't exactly great.

I told myself I needed to be strong. And I will.

"Joker, charge a course for Omega!"

"Aye, aye, Commander!"

* * *

**A/N:_ I don't do Shepard justice. I wanted to make her sort of a bitter person... I mean, with all the shit she's been through, who WOULDN'T have an attitude. I guess it's all right. But I think I did Miranda's POV better. I like Miranda, so I wanna to write from her POV again in the future. Of course, I want to write as Shepard again, which is the POV I'll probably write from the more often... because she's the main character of the game._**


	3. Accomplish: Jacob

**Jacob**

From the look on Miranda's face, it looked like she was having trouble to keep herself from laughing after Shepard threatened the turian guard to let us in the quarantine zone of Omega.

Shepard… she confuses me. She called a sick man dying on the streets a "whiny batarian", then decides to help him by sparing some of our medi-gel mere minutes later. And before that in Afterlife, she threatened another batarian who looked like he could've killed her if he had the chance… that was, until Shepard had him at the collar with that bitter look in her eyes.

That bitterness of hers must've developed from living around scum her whole childhood. The databases say that Shepard grew up in the slums of the New York City metropolis- easily one of the largest cities on Earth. The gangs she affiliated herself with were the closest thing to a family she had. She claims that the reason she joined the Alliance military in the first place was to get away from all that, but her rebellious attitude suggests differently. She never listens to her superiors, and disregards whatever they say- one of those stuck-up military leaders who likes to do things "her way". (I heard once that she specifically disobeyed orders while infiltrating a terrorist organization around the time she was fighting against Saren. She was ordered to kill the terrorists, but to leave the biotic scientists alive. Everyone in the facility was killed. No one survived.)

Everywhere we looked, Blue Suns were patrolling the area. They were strong, but the occasional Blood Pack members we fought were the worst. The vorcha regenerate faster than we can use our medi-gel, and the krogan- man, I've never had this much trouble to kill anything- anything _non-human_ before in my life. I've fought krogan before, but these Blood Pack ones are some of the toughest I've ever seen.

The clinic is just a bit farther now… no doubt Mordin won't come with us until the plague is cured. No doubt every one in this district would've been dead by now, from both the plague and the Blue Suns, if it weren't for him- from what the batarian said.

… Of course, it _is _extremely unusual that the infamous, "xenophobic" Cerberus would want to recruit aliens like Mordin or Okeer to help humanity's cause… but we really don't have a choice, do we?

But it I didn't join Cerberus because I was xenophobic, like some of the other soldiers- the ones that give cause others to title Cerberus as "xenophobic. I told Shepard I joined because I wanted to make a difference, and I was telling the truth. I've saved more human lives in Cerberus than I ever did when I was in the Alliance.

And under Shepard's command, I'm hoping to accomplish even more.


	4. Still the Same: Garrus

**Garrus**

They don't give up. They all just keep coming. I've been up here for two days now… the turrets I set up all got destroyed in a matter of minutes. By skilled Eclipse snipers no less. And then they send out more inexperienced freelancers to die for them. But it's their own loss. They were the ones who signed up to die. I feel no pity or remorse for any of them.

I haven't eaten or slept in the forty-eight hours that I've been here, but my stamina hasn't once faltered. These freelancers have barely touched me.

One shot to the head. That's all they need- human, asari, salarian, turian- it's all the same. Unless they're from the Blood Pack. Vorcha and krogan are the hardest to kill. That's a known fact to every mercenary and soldier out there.

The wave has stopped- the freelancers and Blue Suns have stopped advancing. Are they low on soldiers, or are they merely re-grouping and trying to plan another attack? None of the merc leaders have shown their face… so they should still have plenty more men left… Blue Suns, Eclispe, Blood Pack… all three of them are equally annoying to deal with… all three are equally corrupt.

Ten minutes… twenty minutes… still no sign of any freelancers or mercs. Not that I'm complaining. It gives me a chance to rest. Half a year on Omega being called "Archangel", and the only thing I've "accomplished" is pissing off every major mercenary group on this side of the galaxy.

Quite an accomplishment, I must say. But that's it. All the scum I've killed, the criminals, the thugs, the mercs- it didn't make a difference. Omega it still that same hellhole as it was when I first came here… when I first became Archangel, or whatever everyone wanted to call me.

No matter how hard I try, I can never seem to make a difference. I can never make things right. Doesn't matter if it's C-Sec, or even being the "proud leader" of ten brave men. I did nothing special in C-Sec, and I let everyone in my squad die… the only survivors being myself and Sidonis… the fucking traitor. The mere thought of one day killing him is the one thing that keeps me going…. All I need is a point in the right direction, and I'm off this rock. And my men will be avenged.

Another wave of yellow-clad soldiers… Eclipse this time.

Here we go-

* * *

**A/N: _I wanted to write a drabble that didn't either mention, or include Shepard at all... every drabble I seem to originally write has someone reflecting on her, and that can get repetitive. This small scene is happening around the same time that Shepard is on Mordin's recruitment mission... Shepard and Garrus are fighting shit at the same time. Shepard's probably gonna be next..._**


	5. Archangel: Shepard

**Shepard**

Mordin… what can I say about Mordin? He's strange.

But he has a good person. His assistant, Daniel, probably thinks his thinking's a bit off, though.

"You're a doctor! You're suppose to help people!"

Curing the plague, or taking away a life to save another- either way, you're both helping someone. Mordin understood that, and so did I. When you're in the military long enough, you come to understand certain things that normal civilians cannot. I've come to learn it sooner that most growing up, back on Earth- Sacrificing others to save people is a common way to "help" them.

But I didn't shoot the batarians I found with Daniel. I didn't see the point. I told them to back off, and they did.

And thus, we have our first, new crewmember. I hope everyone else mentioned in the dossiers are as smart as Mordin is. That'd make life a whole lot easier…. Who the hell am I kidding? There's no fucking way that's ever gonna happen.

Mordin managed to settle in well at the tech lab, and began working right away… but I wanted to see how well he'd do in battle. He was part of the Special Tasks, so he must he more than decent in a fight. So I decided to take him on my team with Jacob when I went out again on Omega- Archangel's next.

Aria mentioned that the Blue Suns were taking in freelancers to fight off Archangel… so that's where I started. Of all things, the local bar is where the all-powerful mercenary group catches its prey.

"Well, aren't you sweet? You're in the wrong place, honey. Strippers quarters are that way."

_Stripper? _Are you _serious?_

"Show me yours, touch guy." I wave my pistol in his face. "Stripper" my ass. He's glad I didn't put a hole in his head. "I bet mine's bigger."

That seemed to amuse him enough. One more step to Archangel… and then this _kid _show up. Must've been no more than eighteen or nineteen… This _kid_ wants to be involved with the Blue Suns?

"Aren't you a little young to be signing up with these mercs?" I shouldn't even be saying that- I was eighteen when I signed up to be in the Alliance military. But back then, I just wanted to get away from the scum I've been living around. This kid just wants the "glory" after the fight. His type are always the first to die. And like their type, this kid was ignoring what I was saying. When he showed me his gun, I immediately snatched it from his hand and jammed it.

"You'll thank me later." I say. Getting to Archangel won't be a picnic like getting to Mordin was- three powerful mercenary groups, all armed to the teeth. Of course it was going to be a bloodbath.

Signing up, and getting to the merc camp was easy. Hacking a powerful mech, and setting it to attack anything, including its "allies" was easy.

Hell, even _getting_ to Archangel's base across the bridge was easy. (Taking out the freelancers and the other Blue Suns was simpler than it could have been. Mostly because they never knew what hit them.)

…But when I saw that it was Garrus under that helmet…

_Garrus was Archangel!_

I felt like weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and my whole body relaxed seeing a familiar face.

"Shepard." He merely said.

He looked exhausted. Tired. I've never seen him look like this before…

"Garrus…?" It was a mere whisper. Mixed emotions were rushing into me- I was surprised… _shocked._ But I was so… God, I was just so happy to see him. It was almost like when I saw Tali for the first time back on Freedom's Progress. Judging from what the Illusive Man had said earlier, I thought I'd never see him again.

"Huh. I'd thought you'd be happier to see me." He says.

"No, I- I'm just surprised to see you- " I don't know whether to hug him, or punch him for being an idiot- pissing off these mercenaries and getting himself stuck in this position. It was only a matter of time before they'd eventually haul their way in here, and then he'd be cornered.

"Are you okay?" I say.

"Been better," He says. "Killing mercs is hard work."

"I bet- you've manged to piss off every major merc group in the Terminus Systems."

"Well, you know it wasn't as easy as you'd think. I'm surprised that they all managed to team up and try to fight me." Then he adds, "They must really hate me."

I give a weak smile, and then mentioned the hard part of this whole mission- Everything else that I've done so far was easy. Getting out is the real hard part.

"-Staying here and waiting for a crack in their defenses." -It sounds like that's what Garrus has been doing this whole time since he got trapped in here. But this whole situation should get better with me and my team.

After fighting more Blue Suns and Eclipse that have managed to make their way through the building, I leave Mordin behind with Garrus to help him while me and Jacob close the shutters in the back.

All of this while the mere thought of Garrus returning to the _Normandy_ being the only positive thought I've had this whole time.


	6. Just You Wait: Jack

**Jack**

Fucking bastards. Putting me in this fucking _box _for fuck's sake.

So I killed a few fucking guards. Big freaking deal. Besides, they were the ones who attacked _me _first. And _I'm _the one who's the bad guy. I've been the "bad guy" for as long as I can remember. Not that I care.

Dammit. The first thing I'll do when I get outta here is to find that Kuril bastard and fuck him up good... I'll tear those mandibles right off his face and shove 'em up his ass.

If that old reptile thinks he can treat me like any of his other prisoners- like I'm some common criminal to be bought and used, the motherfucker's gotta another thing coming...

But that's why he put me in this fucking box- because I'm _special _or something. Not the first time someone treated me a little different 'cause of my biotics... I could freaking _destroy _this place if I could. Kill every single asshole in this hellhole. Every prisoner, every guard, and every jackass who puts a gun in my face. The idea of it just leaves chills down my spine.

Just you wait, Kuril... I'll get you. And if I can't kill you, I'll kill every other motherfucker in this pisshole until I find you.

Just you wait.


	7. A Legacy to Rise Above: Okeer

**Okeer**

I began tuning out Jedore's constant shouting over the loudspeaker long ago.

She asks for an army of strong, tank-bred krogan, so that's what I give her... as long as she doesn't interfere with my work... creating the ideal krogan... the "pure", perfect krogan- It took me years to come this far, and now, I'm almost done.

This legacy of mine... I've made him exactly the way a krogan should be. The way we used to be, long ago.

But now, I'm being delayed by the mere barking orders of some weak-willed, human woman. From the Blue Suns, no less. ...Such paranoia comes with being a high-ranking leader, for some. And it doesn't matter whether you're a mercenary commander, or some bullshit politician on the Citadel. I have never been so weak... so _pathetic._

But still, I've never gotten enough respect for anyone to accept my ideals about dealing with the genophage.

I told them to screw the damned disease! Ignore it! Show those fucking amphibians and reptiles that we are above them!

And my legacy... my grunt... He shall be the first to proudly present that example. He shall be the first to truly rise above the weak krogan that have survived.

One to rise above the disgrace of our people.


	8. Darkness: Garrus

**Garrus**

Everything's dark.

All I remember is that damned missile heading straight toward me… and the explosion that came afterward.

I can barely hear anything. Just more muffled gun-fire and aliens shouting.

Did the voices belong to the Blue Suns, or one of Shepard's men? I don't know.

But the next thing I see is _her. _The next voice I hear is _hers, _calling out my name.

"_Garrus! Garrus, hold on!"_

I can't breath- No, I can't die- Not after I found her again-

_"Garrus-"_

She's… she's calling me…

Everything's going dark again.

The last thing I hear is her voice calling my name again…

And the last thing I see before I close my eyes is _her._

"Le…ia…"


	9. The Convict: Miranda

**Miranda**

She's doing it again- being difficult. Why must she always be so difficult?

"I'll relinquish one bullet. Where do you want it?" Ah, but that's what's so amusing about Shepard. The catch for being so difficult is that unpredictability of hers. When something comes up, she can either negotiate, or put a bullet in someone's head. It's like flipping a coin, it's a fifty-fifty chance that she'll do something insane.

Apparently, Jack is a psycho. A strong, powerful, biotic… but still a little nutty in the head. Fighting, killing- apparently, that's all she ever does. It's the only thing she's ever good at. I never met her, but I read enough about her from the reports about her little past with Cerberus.

I can see the disgust in both Shepard and Garrus' eyes when they saw a prisoner nearly being beaten to death- the Blue Suns' crude form of torture. For a mercenary group that's been around for a while, you would figure they'd come up with something more… creative.

"There's no excuse for beating a prisoner who can't fight back."

Ah, so now she's a perfect little paragon, huh? Another flip of the coin, and this time, it's landed on heads. I can see those perfect, blue eyes of hers gapping at the guard. I wonder how much he can really see behind that fancy helmet of his?

"This degrades you as much as him."

Heads again. Oh, she could've been far more nasty to him. She must be on a good day. And so, they stop. Whatever Shepard wants, Shepard gets… a lot of people would love to trade places with her in that regard, I'm sure.

At the end of the day after "recruiting" the psycho bitch, known as Jack, we all learn a very, valuable lesson:

Never trust the Blue Suns. Never trust a mercenary group, that's for sure.

What on Earth did the dear Warden even _think _when he decided it would be a good idea to try to capture our "beloved" Commander Shepard? He honestly thought it would be so easy as to say, "Step inside so we can make you a slave?". "Valuable more as a prisoner than a customer", indeed.

It would've been as simple as letting us just _have_ Jack. No guns fired, no mess- and everyone would be happy… but no, they all had to make it more complicated than it needed to be. Everyone in the Purgatory, both mercs and prisoners, would all still be alive if they'd just handed Jack over to us without any needless gunfire.

Jack. That woman's a whole _other _story. We've met her five minutes ago, and she's already a pain in the ass. "Cheerleader", hah. She's going to be trouble if Shepard can't put her on a leash.

* * *

**A/N: _I was originally gonna make this drabble a little longer, but I think this ends fine. (I actually think this one is pretty good) Another Miranda one... I think I'll do Grunt next._**


	10. The Voice: Grunt

**Grunt**

Constant images are flashing through my head with each passing moment.

Mostly of war and battle. Images that glorify it. Blood. Death. Carnage. What more is there to describe it?

I feel nothing for these… _pictures _that continue to appear in my mind. The scenes of death that I keep seeing give me no emotion. I don't feel anger or hatred when I see the icons of a dead krogan. I feel nothing when I see images of the "proud" warlords who came before me. I just merely think of one word:

Weak.

If the dead weren't weak, they wouldn't be dead in the first place.

And I wouldn't be needed.

I no longer care for the teachings "the Voice" tries to pound into my unconscious mind… And I no longer care for "the Voice"… for Okeer. The stubborn bastard merely proclaims the same thing over, and over. It grows tiresome.

As long as I can fight, Okeer shouldn't care about whether I know of great warlords and how their mistakes led to their deaths. As long as I am able to fight… Okeer's teachings are useless to me.

The lengths he has gone to create me is proof that others thought the same of him… of his apparent outdated thinking… they looked down on him, and they always will till the day he dies.

…Okeer… I can hear his voice again- but he's not talking to me… he's recording something… for someone…

_...This one soldier... this grunt... perfect..._

And then he's gone. The voice that's plagued my entire existence in this tank… it's gone forever, hasn't it?

* * *

**A/N: _Pfff... yeah, this isn't that good. I guess it should've been more detailed, but it's Grunt. He puts everything simple and blunt... usually._**


	11. Horizon: Jack

**Jack**

Shit, she looks like such a pussy right now- it's almost embarrassing to look at her. We killed a bunch of Collectors, but didn't manage to save any of the colonists. I couldn't express how _little _I care about that. Shepard kept her cool when she realized that, even when that idiot mechanic started shouting at her like some sort of idiot.

And then that fucking Alliance marine showed up, and screwed everything up.

We could've left right then and there, but then _he _showed up… What was his name again? Kaley? (Shit, no, that's a girls' name). Kain? No, wait, Shepard called him _Kaiden, _or whatever. I don't know what, but something… something _changed _about Shepard when she first saw him. Like she was relieved, or saw some sort of ghost. It was obvious by the way she looked at him- she was _glad _to see him. I can't imagine why. I found him incredibly boring by just looking at him. It sounded like he was an old friend of hers… wait, "Kaiden"… Was his name Kaiden Alenko? Then didn't he help fight with Shepard during the battle with Saren a couple years ago? Oh, okay, so he's one of Shepard's "old war buddies", just like Vakarian and that obnoxious pilot.

If that's the case, then why the hell won't he listen to her?

He's going on and on about Cerberus, and how Shepard's a "traitor", and that his loyalty's with the Alliance and whatnot…

Jesus, what an idiot.

The son of a bitch's so worked up about Cerberus, he can't see the real threat. Hell, he won't even listen to _Shepard- _I thought he was one of those kiss-ass Alliance types, but he's treating her like _she's _the bad guy. I fucking _hate _Cerberus even more than the next person, but even _I _can see what they're trying to do… not that I'd ever work with those motherfuckers again after this mission.

I glance over to Grunt, but I can't get anything from that poker face of his. But I figure he's thinking the same thing I am.

After a while, I tune out to what the two of them are saying. They're pretty much saying the same thing over and over, back and forth ("…I'm not with Cerberus!"; "They're using you!" Ugh, God, will it ever end?)

The marine gets the final word- what did he say? Something about "I know where my loyalties lie"? Damn. Talk about a smack to the face.

I can't see Shepard's face, but her whole body is tensed up. Damn, she must be fucking _furious. _

" Joker- send the shuttle to pick us up. I've had enough of this colony."


	12. Mistake: Tali

**Tali**

I lost contact with Reegar hours ago- oh Keelah, I hope he's okay. So many of my friends have died already…

We were told that Haestrom was uninhabited- why are geth here? Oh, what does it even matter? They always seem to follow us, no matter where we go. Half of our former colonies have already been taken over by geth, why should they take this one as well?

Part of me thinks that coming here was a mistake. The radiation overloaded more than half of our weapons, and everyone else… everyone else could be…

Dammit, a dying star was not worth the lives lost here.

And now look what I've gotten myself into- stuck in this stupid position, cornered in this hole. And I'm not even close to finishing… recording this damned data… But I can't stay here forever.

I can hear the geth trying to claw their way in here…

They won't get in here- with all the barriers I managed to put up, I made sure of that.

But still…

I wish Shepard was here.

I miss her…

* * *

**A/N: _Yeah, this is really short...I wrote it in school, and I kind of liked where it stopped. I try to write more than 200 words, but I hate to force myself to write something just for the sake of making it long. As for when exactly this takes place... I'm thinking this is taking place shortly before Shepard arrives at Haestrom- so the first thing she does after the Horizon incident is recruiting Tali (Which is something, ironically, I do last whenever I get that far in Mass Effect 2. I find her recruitment mission very tedious for some reason. I'm not sure why). I'm thinking of doing Jacob's loyalty mission next... _**


	13. Nothing More, and Nothing Less: Miranda

**Miranda**

No matter what happens between Jacob and his father today, I know I did the right thing. For once, it was something I thought I needed to do.

I'll admit that I was never that good of a lover to Jacob. Sure, I was good in bed (He was, too), but you can't build a stable relationship based solely on sex- we both knew that when to chose to start a relationship together. Of course, it didn't last too long. It only went on for less than half a year before we both agreed to break it off. Our personalities were too different. Near the end, he suddenly became passive about showing his true feelings when I didn't give him the support and comfort he needed. And I was too "cold" and "harsh" as he put it, to continue any kind of serious, emotional relationship with anyone

Giving Jacob the coordinates of his father's possible location was probably kinder than anything I ever did for him than when we were together.

We might not survive the final mission against the Collectors, and Jacob deserves one last chance to reconcile with his father. Even if it doesn't end well for either of them, it's still better than leaving it the way it was before…

Yes, opening up to me about his father was one of the last things he told me before he closed himself off to me.

I won't lie to say that I was surprised when I saw a report of a distress signal from the small, Alpha Draconis system- the system where the _Hugo Gernsback _was said to have disappeared. It was a very brief, very recent report from one of Cerberus' databases. I'm not surprised that the Illusive Man didn't take a second glance at it; from the report itself, it almost seemed like any sign on Aeia was unlikely. But I still decided to dig a little deeper about the situation myself, and sent the more important information to Jacob… after adding in some more details I discovered on my own (Anonymously, of course. He'd never accept any kind of new information I'd give him. It would just make him more stubborn about searching for his father).

Now about that "promise" I once made… That's right, I promised him once, a very long time ago, that I would help him find his father. Of course, that's just merely one of the many promises I've made to him. But that's what I'll say when he eventually finds out that I gave him the coordinates to that planet- I was just fulfilling a promise. And I always keep my promises.

It was nothing more, and nothing less.


	14. A Changed Person?: Liara

**Liara**

"What do you mean you won't pay up, T'Soni?"

I reiterated my statement. I wouldn't pay him the information the salarian contact gave me because his information turned up false. His claimed lead on the Shadow Broker led to a dead end. I'm not paying him anything for giving me a dead end.

But he doesn't care, and continues his rant.

"We're done here- tell your boss that our business arrangement is over."

"You bitch- " I cut the channel.

Useless. Every lead since arriving on Illium has been useless. That's the entire reason I came here in the first place- my last lead on the Shadow Broker led me here, but I've since found nothing.

…No. Ever since I've hired Nyxeris, I've been getting nothing. No new information, no new suspects-It's been that way ever since she came here… Could she be-

"Ms. T'Soni,"

Speak of the devil- Nyxeris herself.

"A Cerberus craft is entering Nos Astra's atmosphere. Do you wish to take any action?"

Cerberus? …Could… could it be…?

"Do you have the identity of the ship?"

She answers: The _Normady SR-2_… It's her. It _must _be her- it couldn't be anyone else.

"The craft should belong to Commander Shepard," The mention of her name doesn't seem to affect my assistant. As though she knew the rumors were true.

Of course they're true. I gave that heathen organization Shepard's body after all. I'm the reason why Cerberus' fantasy of bringing her back bloomed into reality.

Even if there was a small chance that she might… that she might come back to life- that she'd survive that fall…

…Even if there was a slight chance that I might see her again, one last time…

"Send an escort to meet with her at the _Normandy._ I want to meet Commander Shepard in person."

She goes like a loyal servant. Nyxeris, "loyal"? I'll see about that.


	15. Confusion: Grunt

**Grunt**

Shepard confuses me. She came off as a weakling, letting her emotions get to her on Horizon, but she redeemed herself destroying those geth like they were nothing back on that planet where we found that quarian. Seeing that asari, an old comrade I think, made her lower her defenses. She almost lost control of her emotions, again. Shepard looked like she was going to cry or shout like a madwoman at that asari earlier.

But now that we're back in combat, she's become a krogan war goddess. Compared to the salarian doctor she brought on that planet, and the human woman with us now, Shepard could easily kill off both of them if they angered her in any way. If only she stayed as emotionless with other people as she is in battle. It was embarrassing to even say I was a warrior under her the way she acted on Horizon and in that asari's office.

Now she's going through these Eclipse soldiers like they're nothing. Compared to Shepard, they_ are _nothing.

Emotionless and heartless. That's what she is in battle. That's when I'm proud to serve under her.

Still think that she shouldn't have to go to these out-of-the-way journeys just to satisfy her other comrades.

We should be going after the assassin or the asari justicar. That's why we're here at Illium. She shouldn't have to take a special trip for her second-in-command (Lawson. Yeah, that's her name, right?) just to satisfy her own needs.

At least I get to fight.

…Heh. Well, why do I care if she's fighting for Lawson right now? If I were her, I wouldn't waste time with Lawson, but now, as long as I'm fighting- _killing_- then I should be satisfied.


	16. The Bartender: Aethyta

**Aethyta**

Of all the "high-ranked", "honorable", or whatever sort of job any young human, turan, or asari might find "impressive", being a bartender is probably the best job I've ever had.

Being a stripper was overrated, and fighting as a mercenary for a few centuries was a pain in the ass. …Crap, what else did I do? It was all so long ago, I might have forgotten most of it. Despite what some people think, asari don't have "perfect memories". That interesting gift belongs to the drell.

Actually, being a drell would have been more interesting than living a millennia to end up being an asari matriarch. Hell, I was doing _less _in my cushy little seat in Thessia than when I was shaking my ass in the sleazy bars I kept finding myself in when I was a maiden.

And by the _Goddess, _was it boring. Dealing with that one obnoxious human the other day was more entertaining. What was his name? Connie? Conroe? No, wait- it was _Conrad._ Conrad… something, I don't know. Heard about his… "type", but I'd never thought I'd ever see one- one of those weird humans with an unhealthy obsession with the Alliance's Commander Shepard. I think I overheard some humans calling them "Shepard fanboys", or something like that. It was something weird, but I've heard stranger things… like my parentage. (Having a krogan for a dad isn't exactly the most

Hey, speak of the devil- here she comes… With the same krogan from last time, but she has a quarian with her instead of a human. She certainly has an interesting collection of people with her.

"Hey, what can I get you, hon?"

* * *

**A/N: _I'm old enough that I should know better than to wait two months to post a stupid, tiny little drabble like this. -.- The greatest asari in the game deserves something better than this..._**


	17. Death of an Unknown Soldier

Damn it... _damn it!_

Who the fuck _are _these people, anyway? A fucking... a fucking quarian and krogan led by a human- it was a fucking group of _three_, how the hell were they able to fight through _all _of Dantius' security without being wounded even _once, _this is so fucking _ridiculous!_

We're _Eclipse, _we're better than these... these.. fuck, what were they anyway? Mercenaries? Yeah, they had to be. Maybe sent from one of her rivals, or something... but I swear, I thought there was only suppose to be _one _assassin coming after her, not _three. _

Dammit... Dammit...

I'm the only one left here, aren't I?

All the other soldiers are either dead, or dying...

Am I covered in my own blood, or someone else's?

...They fucking _shot_ me like I was some common Omega thug... like I was nothing...

Who the hell _were_ they?

Wait... wait, I can see someone coming. Someone's walking over here...I can see their shadow. Are they back? That damned quarian shot me in the gut- if that stupid alien was as good as the other two, I wouldn't be here trying to get up right now... I'd be dead just like everyone else.

I slightly move my head... Wait. There's only one person... I can't really see them...

"Interesting. One managed to survive..."

My vision's getting blurry...

"Very few have managed to live through one of her infamous raids,"

...No, I don't think it's one of them.

"But you're close to death, aren't you?"

...Then who the hell is that?

He's saying something... what the hell is he saying? Some sort of prayer?

No... No... I'm... dying... I'm dying... aren't I?

I can't... see anything...

….Only... only...

…..Darkness...

* * *

As the title suggests, this is merely one of the many, nameless, NPC soldiers that Shepard kills over the course of ME2. I'll probably do one more during Thane's recruitment quest...


	18. The Assassin: Shepard

**Shepard**

I remember Nassana from the Citadel two years ago. She asked me to "rescue" her sister from the clutches of slavers, but it turned out that she was part of the slavers that Wrex, Ashley, and I killed.

For some reason, I wasn't as annoyed than when I found out that she used me to increase chances of her own political gain. When I look back on it now, it irritates the hell out of me. But she isn't worth it, I know that.

Maybe that's why I'm not feeling anything, right now.

Eclipse soldiers barring their guns, and Nassana looking like she's seen a ghost… I don't feel anything now that I've seen her again. This woman hadn't even crossed my mind until 0,0 mentioned her name.

"Shepard? But… you're dead,"

I should be amused at the fear in her voice… But there's nothing. I can't feel anything.

"I got better."

"And now you're here to kill me."

She thought _I _was who came here to kill her? Please.

"You really are paranoid, aren't you?"

"Don't patronize me," She scoffs bitterly. She turns her head away, unable to look at me in the eye.

"Charming as ever."

Almost immediately, she throws back her head, and tries to shoot a piercing glare that's frightened so many of Nos Astra's people… She should know by now that it has no effect on me.

"I'm sure you find this all very ironic," She spats. "First you take care of my sister, and now you're here for me."

"You really think I'm here to kill you?" I say.

"Do you have another reason for destroying my tower? Decimating my security?"

The Assassin immediately pops into my head.

"I'm just looking for someone."

"You expect me to believe that?" She shouts. "Is it credits? Is that what you want? Just tell me your price. We can make this problem go away."

A loud noise came from the ceiling- It's him. He's here.

My lips curl into a slight smile, "All the credits in the world won't make this problem go away, Nassana."

Another noise- this time one of her guards heard it, but they're too late. He appeared, and killed two of the other guards before the two asari even noticed that he was there. A swift shot to the chest with the Eclipse, and a smooth, quick death to Nassana before she could even process what was going on. So this is our Assassin…

"Impressive…" I hear Grunt mutter.

The drell turns and his large, black eyes meet mine for a moment as he laid down the asari's body over the panel. …He's praying? For _her_ of all people?

"Thane Krios… I was hoping to talk to you."

He doesn't look up, but his smooth voice nearly sent a chill down my spine, "I apologize, but prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken."

My eyes glance down at Nassana's body, "Do you really think she deserves it?"

His lips curled into a frown, and his eyes seemed distant- as though he were trying to pick his next words carefully.

"Not for her," He said. "For me."

He took a few steps toward me. "The measure of an individual can by difficult to discern by actions alone. Take you, for instance. All this destruction… chaos."

I said nothing. Instead, I let him continue. He wasn't like Jack or Grunt… he didn't want to challenge me. His reaction was more like Mordin's… curious about why I'm here. I could see it on his face. I could see it in his eyes.

"I was interested to see how far you'd go to fine me."

He met my gaze again. "Well… here I am."


	19. Prelude to the Justicar: Samara

**Samara**

"Oh shit- a justicar?" The officer cursed under her breath. "That's the last thing I need right now."

I could tell she wanted to ignore me- forget that I was even there.

But she knew she couldn't, and the expressions on her subordinates' faces confirmed that. I could have merely stood there for hours without even so much as glancing at her until she finally approached me.

But I could not take the time to wait until one of us makes a move. The trail to Morinth was still fresh, and I couldn't accept another lead going cold, and leading me nowhere. So I approached her.

"I am Justicar Samara." I say. "Although I can see this area is off limits to all except you and your staff, I have business with the mercenary group in this area."

An irritated expression was painted on her face as she spoke, and introduced herself: "Detective Anaya. I wish I could say it's a pleasure to meet you Justicar, but you do realize you make my job more difficult than it already was, right?"

I let her continue, "We're trying to find the asshole who killed a volus, and we got Eclipse to deal with… Wait. You want to meet with _Eclipse?"_

"I'm looking for an asari. A renegade, you might say. I believe Eclipse smuggled her out of Illium." I avoid the term _Ardat-Yakshi. _I wanted to believe that this will quicker if I did so.

The detective sighed. "You know I can't do anything to stop you, ma'am… but my superiors will have a different opinion about this whole thing."

"What your superiors think is, unfortunately, no consequence to me," I say. "All they must know is that if they interfere with my search, I will not be responsible for my actions."

It may have been a crude response, but I have, unfortunately, eliminated even the kindest of people because of their interference with my search for Morinth. I hope that this detective will not be one of them.

She leans into me. "Do it as fast as you can. The last thing I want to do is to get on a Justicar's bad side, and I can imagine fighting a bunch of two-bit police officers is the farthest thing you want to do right now."

She isn't far from the truth at all. The only thing on my mind these past few centuries has been Morinth, and Morinth only.

"I make no promises, but I shall try."


	20. Makes Perfect Sense: Joker

**Joker**

…Man, I feel like we've been stuck here in Illium for _days!_ What's the Commander been doing out there anyway? What's she doing out there anyway?

She left shortly after getting the Assassin all comfy and cozy in the life support room. What was his name again? I think it was Krios. I guess it doesn't matter too much; all I need to know is that the Commander recruited ANOTHER dangerous alien aboard. She should just start her own collection of how many weirdo, deadly aliens she just seems to attract _period. _

…She mentioned something about a "Justicar" when she left with Jack and Garrus. I don't know what that is, but apparently it's a big deal with the asari.

…Speaking of which, didn't the Commander meet with Liara not too long ago? Or at least, I _assumed _that she did, since she IS here and all. I guess whatever kind of meeting they had didn't go too well since Liara isn't on the ship, and the Commander refuses to talk about it. I think Miranda and Grunt were with her during their meeting, but there's no way I'm getting within ten feet of our krogan timebomb, and Miranda just scares the crap out of me.

…You know, now that I think about it, didn't Liara use to have a crush on her? On the Commander, I mean. I know that they weren't a couple or anything (But it would have been AWESOME if they were), but still, I wonder if it was awkward. I suppose it must have been if the Commander won't talk about it. All she said was that Liara was "busy". Oh yeah, she's so busy, she can't help us save the freaking galaxy. But I guess any mention of a "suicide mission" IS a bit of a turn off.

Makes perfect sense why I'm at the pilot of the ship going through said suicide mission.

…I can't understand my logic sometimes.

* * *

I can't write in Joker's POV to save my life. He's too awesome for me -.- But I figure I might as well write another drabble celebrating the fact that I finally graduated high school. Part of me feels like my writing might get better as I enter college, but who knows.


	21. Anaya's Woe: Detective Anaya

**Detective Anaya**

First a justicar, now a galactic legend… what's next, is the _Goddess_ gonna appear on my door step, too?

I allowed Shepard into the crime scene since no one else in Nos Astra has the quad to face a justicar. The crime was already a mess with Eclipse involved, I didn't need a justicar to make things worse. Her interference, _and _the fact that I'm asked to detain her just made it all even more aggravating than it already was.

No matter how many times I tried to explain what a justicar was, and how detaining her would be suicide, the higher-ups completely blew me off.

You'd think that all the superior positions in this city would be taken by asari (Considering it WAS colonized by the Asari Republics), but no, my bosses just HAVE to be the epitome of stereotypical stupid humans and turians.

I don't think having Shepard involved is gonna change too much, but it's always worth a try… I mean, she DID save the Citadel and single-handedly kill that Spectre. (Was it single-handedly? The story's either she defeated him by herself, or with two other companions… I'm not sure which is true).

They should be back soon, in any case… hopefully, we can work out some sort of deal. If that'll be the case, then maybe I can end up keeping my head on for one more day in this piss-poor city.


End file.
